Lac Butler in Côte-Nord: How and When to Fish It

• Overview

  In Quebec, Lac Butler belongs to Côte-Nord. Height above sea level is 274 metres. The water covers some 59 hectares, so pick a bank rather than trying to cover it all. There is roughly 5.6 km of bank, more than one visit can cover properly. Supplies mean a trip to Baie-Comeau, 54 km off. Further out sit Hauterive (62 km) and Matane (74 km). No boundary runs near, so the local rules hold throughout.

• Where to Fish on Lac Butler

  Depth went unrecorded, which puts the reading back on you. Still water like this holds fish on the edges rather than out in the open. The productive water is a rod length or two out, not a hundred. County-wide records name logperch. County records show what lives in the area; the local agency holds the water-by-water list. The shape of Lac Butler decides where the fish sit.

• Seasonal Patterns

  Climate normals give 16°C for July and -14°C for January. Hard water is a season in its own right here. Winter locks it down, and early May brings it back. Break-up near early May, freeze-up near mid November: that is the shape of an average year. Early summer and early autumn carry the open-water season. The season on Lac Butler rarely departs from it.

• Tackle & Baits

  Access status is simply unknown for this water. No dam controls it, and the level follows the season. No car park, ramp or path is recorded within easy reach of the shore. Perch take small lures and worms fished near the bottom close to structure. Where the road in crosses private land, ask first. Some water is controlled locally without a sign saying so. If the gate is shut, Lac de la Tempete at 1.9 km is the nearest alternative. Check the current arrangement for Lac Butler.